Goa Cong questions invoking of NSA by state govt

The main opposition Congress in Goa has questioned the state government's move to notify the stringent National Security Act (NSA) for booking the criminals, particularly in cases of extortion.

Questioning the need to notify such a stringent act to book criminals, Congress said that "invoking of NSA was unwarranted."

"There are enough strict rules to punish those involved in crime. Why are these rules invoked?" asked Goa Pradesh Congress Committee's working president Fransisco Sardinha while talking to reporters here on Tuesday.

Sardinha, who is also a Member of Parliament, said that "Goa police knows very well who are the extortionists" in the state. "Police can keep a watch on them," he added.

Both the North and South Goa district collectors had notified the NSA in their respective jurisdiction earlier this month, although no one has been officially booked under it.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who also holds the Home portfolio, had decided to invoke NSA after holding a series of meetings with the senior Home department and police officials earlier this month.

Parrikar had said that there was a possibility of rise in extortion attempts during the tourist season and in view of that he had directed the Home department to notify NSA.

A senior Home Department official said that the NSA has been invoked to ensure that there are no cases of extortion registered during the tourist season.

"The act is a deterrent for history sheeters, so that they don't repeat the offences," he said, adding that under NSA the state can detain a person for 12 months for the sake of law and order.